Trial By Fire
by KitKatt0430
Summary: Oneshot, AU, S-TU; It's been a year since Zelos went to meet an angel in and attempted to change his destiny, but he still isn't truly Yuan's student. It's time for fate, and fire, to intervene as they did once before in Zelos' life.


Disclaimer – I don't own this, but it makes good material to write with so I'm not complaining.

Important fanfic info – one-shot, AU, part of the Student-Teacher universe. The ability to use mana does not limit magic to elves and half-elves in the game since everyone can do guardian techs. There is even a Z-skit where Raine talks about how Boltzman theorized that something other than mana fueled healing techs. Mana is, in my opinion, the love of the tree for the world and the love of people for the world would be it's equal and opposite; people live on mana and the tree lives on the energy of love that people provide in return. Ergo, despite not having ingested Aionis at this point in time, Zelos can still do some minor healing for some injuries… like small burns.

October 21, 2009 – I've been revamping the S-TU, so I've edited this story to better fit the universe. For more info on the Student-Teacher Universe and characters, take a look over at the Sygnus Figment Registry.

_**Trial by Fire **_

It was nearly a year since Zelos had first met Yuan and, by virtue of that meeting, been introduced to the Renegades. The time had passed quickly, at least by Zelos' perceptions, and was highlighted only by his handful of weekend visits to the Renegade base in Tethe'alla.

The memories that stuck out the most were instances of learning. Botta, the Renegade Second in Command teaching the Chosen tactics and strategy; Erik, the Chief Engineer, showing Zelos how Rheairds and various other Renegade craft worked; Gracie, Chief Medical Officer and the younger sister of Botta, teaching him how to heal by using his compassion to power the magic; Robert "Bob" Wellington, Chief of Security and the only human on the senior staff, instructing the redhead in various forms of combat.

Yuan, however, had remained distant after the fact. He had brought Zelos to the Renegade Inner Circle and left him to their whims.

Zelos had never been one to crave attention for the sake of attention itself. In Meltokio, he would seek it only if it served a purpose... like keeping the public from genuinely noticing him. They saw the title 'Chosen,' not the boy who carried it, and that suited Zelos just fine.

It was different with the Renegades. They spent time with him, no strings attached. They taught him and praised the ease with which he absorbed the information. Gracie was of the opinion that he possessed an eidetic memory and no one disagreed.

Yet Yuan stayed distant... and he was the one that Zelos wanted to learn from the most. The blue-haired angel was an enigma at best and an unanswerable logic problem at worst. Zelos hated not being able to answer logic problems; it was a weakness, perhaps. The frustration at not being able to understand Yuan had led him, during his short intervals with the Renegades, to dig for clues that might allow him to make sense of the Seraph. Unfortunately, all his attempts were for naught. It was a year later and Zelos was convinced that he knew less about Yuan now then he did to begin with. It was somewhat disheartening.

But now... now was not the time to dwell on that, he decided. Staring curiously at the sights of Sylvarant, safely ensconced on a Rheaird with Erik, he gawked at Luin, the city on the lake, and Palmacosta, which was partially built over the sea. The place that impressed him the most, however, was Triet. That the small city was capable of sustaining itself in the middle of the desert (which also amazed Zelos, because he'd never seen one before) was awe-inspiring. The perseverance of the different kinds of people living there in the face of the odds against them...

Zelos wondered if that was a kind of courage he should hope to find in himself one day.

While he hadn't actually been inside of the cities, seeing them from the Rheairds had been wondrous enough. Erik was flying back to the Renegade Base and the Rheaird passed, once more, by Triet. Erik didn't look over at the city, but Zelos did.

Smoke rose into the air and the acrid smell tainted the winds. It was too thin for the stink to really be noticeable, given their distance, but Zelos had smelt smoke before and in much closer quarters.

"Erik! Triet's burning down!" he shouted, gesturing towards the pillar of dark rising from the city.

"What?!" The Rheaird turned sharply and floated there for a long moment. Then Erik reacted, reaching for his com-unit in his pocket and hurriedly tuning into the Renegade frequencies. "Base, this if Falcon, over."

"Falcon, this is Base. We read you loud and clear, over," was the static covered reply.

"The windy city it up in flames. They need assistance. Requesting permission to intervene while awaiting back-up, over."

There was a long pause and then Yuan's voice came on the com. "Falcon, you have permission to act. Egret," Zelos perked up; that was the name they had told him to use on the com, "try to stay out of the way if you can, but if you want to help make sure that you don't bite off more than you can handle. Over."

"Yes, sir," Zelos called loudly, causing some chuckles to emanate from the unit.

Erik angled the Rheaird down and began to descend. "We're on our way to the city, sir. I'll be eagerly awaiting those reinforcements. Over and out."

"We'll get help to you soon, Falcon. Base over and out," Yuan shut off communications and Erik did the same with his com-unit. As they moved towards the blaze, Zelos felt his heart clench in fear.

"Looks like its just you and me for now, kid," Erik called back; not really alleviating the sudden anxiety in the redhead. Zelos was seeing the flames and remembering the last fire he'd witnessed... and been within. He'd hoped never to see a fire so powerful again, though this one wasn't as bad as the one he remembered. It was worse.

----

Zelos sat up and looked about his room. Everything seemed fine, but there was something off and he knew instinctively that he was too tired to pinpoint it yet.

**Getting out of his bed, Zelos threw open the window and that was when he smelled the smoke. A house was burning… **_**his**_** house was burning. **

The redhead raced to his door, checking it to make sure that the fire wasn't in the hallway. It wasn't, but smoke was already pouring through the cracks. When the door opened, he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke, unable to see.

"Zelos!" The redhead shook off the memory and followed Erik into the city walls. It was pandemonium inside; some people rushed to the well or the lake, drawing water as quickly as possibly to stop the wild, spreading flames.

It wasn't going to be enough.

The sensible people were ordering families out of the city while sending others equipped in drenched blankets and covered mouths into burning buildings where people were trapped. They were doing a good job against the odds and Zelos felt determined to help them.

Turning away from the orange haired Renegade, Zelos slipped out of Erik's line of vision and towards the wounded. When he reached the burned people who were being herded towards the exit, he reached out with his healing abilities and they began to exclaim in delight as minor wounds healed

"The Goddess is blessing us despite this atrocity!" someone shouted. The rest hastened to agree.

**Zelos worked his way over to the next room and opened the door. Seles sat there in surprise. "Big brother, what's happening? I'm scared…"**

"**Shush, it'll be alright. Cover your mouth and nose and I'll get you out of the house." **

**Seles nodded and followed Zelos out of the room, down the stairs, and outside. **

A little girl struggled against the man who dragged her out of her home. "No! I have to go back!"

The man ignored her and shoved her into Zelos' arms because the boy was closest to her. "Shush," Zelos pulled her over to the entrance, green energy leaping from his fingers to her burns.

"My brother is still in there," she sobbed. "He's at the windows… can't people see him? Why won't they help?!"

Her eyes were milky white, indicating blindness, but Zelos looked up to the window of the building the girl had come from and, sure enough, there was a boy in the second floor window crying for help. Then again, the same could be said of many buildings. There were too many people to save and not enough willing to do that.

"**Where's Daddy? Is he still inside? Go get him, Zelos. Please get Daddy." The young girl's voice was growing hysterical and she was starting to cough.**

"**I'll get him for you, sis. I promise." Zelos turned and reentered the burning mansion. **_**If she wants Dad, I'll bring him to her.**_

"I'll get him," Zelos promised the little girl. "But you have to get outside of the walls. He needs to have his sister well when he gets out of there, mmkay?"

"Yes…" she nodded spiritedly, tears running down her face. "Are you a guardian angel?"

Zelos gave her a startled look. "No… I don't even have wings."

"I thought that maybe you were hiding them," she murmured, walking away. "You'll be one, someday. I _see_ you, Zelos. I'll see you again, I'm sure."

Wide eyed and shocked, Zelos had to give himself a shake in order to get going. He ducked through the crowds and snagged a blanket out of a pile that had be drenched in water. Wrapping himself in the wet wool, which did _not_ smell good, he entered the house.

**The fire was worse, but the boy didn't notice. He went up the stairs and through the blaze to his father's room. The red haired man glanced up at his son, his eyes disinterested.**

"Dad?" No response.

The little boy was crouched by the window, shouting hoarsely for help, when Zelos reached the room. "Hey!" The redhead grabbed the kid's wrist and hoisted him up. "Cover your mouth and breath shallowly. I can get you out of here, but if you breathe in too much smoke, you'll pass out and then I won't be of much use to you."

The boy nodded and clung closely to Zelos on the way out. The fire seemed to be dying a little. The stairs held under them, but the steps creaked and groaned in protest for every move that they made.

He was only feet from the door when a familiar noise sounded in his ears. "Get out, now!" Zelos exclaimed, shoving the younger boy to the door with enough force that he had to stumble through it.

The ceiling collapsed on the Tethe'allan Chosen at the same moment that a green light blossomed around him. Surprise filled him as he reached out and brushed the edges of the bubble that surrounded him. It was a guardian technique, but he'd never been able to call on one so… stable before.

When the building had settled, and the timber had shifted to either side of Zelos, the shield disappeared. It had taken most of his remaining energy, though, and he collapsed into darkness.

----

**Zelos coughed, the sound barely audible above the crackling house. "Seles want's you." There was still nothing. "Dad!" Zelos reached out to grab his father's wrist and was flung backwards.**

"**NO! I will join the woman I love in heaven or hell, wherever she and I are sent."**

**Zelos stared at his father's crazed eyes and stood. "You do that... You die instead of taking care of your son who has never really known you and your daughter who loves you deeply. Go on. Abandon her like you already have me."**

Something may have flickered in those lost green eyes, but it was wasted on Zelos. He turned and ran from the room and down the stairs. He fumed on the way back out of the house, barely paying attention to the fire the leapt and hissed around him. It wasn't right; what had happened above shouldn't have occurred. Yet it had.

**A loud crackling noise was the only warning he had as the ceiling crashed down on him on a few feet from the front door. Zelos tried to move out of the way, but was only fast enough to bring his arms up, over his head, before the burning boards reached him. **

He jerked up into a sitting position, trying desperately to avoid the flames that were surely all around him. Except… Zelos was no longer in the burning house.

In fact, he was in the Renegade infirmary, which was mostly empty. There was only one other person in it and he was giving Zelos the most curious of looks. The Chosen had never believed that Lord Yuan could appear bewildered, but apparently he'd been wrong.

They stayed like that for several long moments before Yuan broke the silence. "What you did in Triet was incredibly stupid. Brave, yes… and you did save that little boy, but it was still stupid."

"I know."

"Then why, exactly, did you run inside the burning building?"

Zelos shrugged and stood, stumbling slightly on contact with the floor. His right ankle smarted, giving him the impression that it was a partially healed sprain. "Well, I suppose there's a reason I'm referred to as the 'Idiot Chosen' after all."

"You are not an idiot," Yuan snapped sharply, his eyes narrowing. "Now, enlighten me as to why you went into a burning building that came crashing down around your ears."

"Considering that was, in fact, what I did, most people would believe that my actions lend credence to the idiot-theory," Zelos mumbled half-heartedly. He winced under the pressure of Yuan's glare and added, "I don't want to talk about it."

His eyes opened and he blearily took in the sight of the hospital. _What happened? Did someone try to kill me again?_

"Chosen One," the nearby nurse chirped, "you're awake! Thank the Goddess!"

Zelos struggled to sit up, his hands not seeming to touch anything despite the fact that he _knew_ that he was using them to lever himself up. Then he saw his arms; he saw the way they were swathed in bandages and _remembered_.

Yuan raised an eyebrow curiously. "Of course you don't. That doesn't mean that you aren't."

"I'm not going to talk about it," the Chosen clarified.

"Yes, you are. Otherwise, you won't be leaving this room for a long time."

The redhead glowered at the blue-haired Seraph and hobbled over to a chair. He sat down in it and rolled it back and forth slowly, raging internally. This was not something he wanted to discuss with an aloof angel that he couldn't comprehend.

"I've been in a fire like that before, okay. I didn't want the kid to burn to death."

"What's wrong with my arms?" he asked slowly.

"Your sister is in the other room, recovering from simple smoke inhalation," the nurse burbled, ignoring his question. "You, of course, have to recover from that, too, but I'm sure you'll be fine in no time…"

"What's wrong with my arms?!" he demanded again.

"I really shouldn't be the one…"

"Wilder!"

Zelos winced at the sound of Yuan's voice. "I'm sorry. I'm must've been dozing off."

"Liar. I know the face of someone lost in memories. What happened at that fire in the past that's affected you this badly in the present?"

"I don't care if you think you shouldn't be the one to tell me!" Zelos interrupted her angrily. "I want to know what is wrong with me!"

The nurse twisted her hands nervously. "Yes, Chosen. I'll tell you."

"It was a fire at my home a few years ago. The mansion's been fixed now; no one can see the damage left behind unless they really hunt for it." Zelos sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I remember waking up and smelling the smoke. I knew that I had to get Seles out of there, so I did… but she wanted Dad and he was still inside."

"You went back in there for him, didn't you," Yuan stated.

Zelos nodded. "I did. He threw me away from him… like I was trash and not his son. I left the upstairs without him and on my way back out of the house, it collapsed on me. I woke up in the hospital. End of story."

"No it isn't." Yuan was staring at Zelos' gloved hands. "Why do you wear those gloves all the time? I've never seen you without a pair on."

"Your arms were badly burned by the flames, Chosen One. Third degree burns are… very hard to heal. Doctor Monroe, the one assigned to your case, was afraid you'd lose your fingers and called in a half-elven healer… please don't be mad about that, sir…"

"I'm not mad about having a half-elf heal me," Zelos spoke the words softly, hearing the words spoken as if they were echoing to him from the other side of a long, dark tunnel. He knew exactly how dangerous third degree burns. "My sister is a fourth-elven, so I don't discriminate; it would be wasteful."

"Oh… well… the healer did his best, he really did."

Zelos tugged on the fingers of his gloves, a numb feeling spreading over him as he did. His left glove slipped off first, followed quickly by the right glove. He glanced up at Yuan's typically impassive face, wondering what he'd see there.

Horror was what the usual reaction was; that was the reason for the gloves.

"You will might regain some feeling in your arms, but not all because…" she choked off.

"Third degree burns destroy nerves. I know that," Zelos took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "Is that it?"

"Not all of it. He couldn't stop your arms from scaring over."

"Can I remove the bandages?" She nodded and Zelos began to unwrap the gauze from his right arm.

"Sweet Goddess above!"

"You put your arms up to guard yourself," Yuan observed, walking over and crouching in front of Zelos' chair. He studied the scars that crisscrossed the young boy's arms in silence before nodding silently. "Do you wear the gloves to protect others from having to see or yourself from their reactions?"

"Both." He inhaled sharply, and plowed on. "I'm supposed to be some perfect Chosen, after all. I can't have the world seeing how marred I really am."

Seles had appeared at the doorway and had exclaimed in time with the nurse. "My Goddess! Your hands!"

"Yeah. Ruined," Zelos said slowly, steady enough despite the quivering he was engaged in.

"Ruined like the rest of you. This must be a sign I would make a better Chosen than you do…"

"Everything's a sign from where you sit. How is the moral high ground these days?" Zelos closed his eyes and placed his right hand on what he hoped was his left arm. When his eyes opened, his hand was hovering in the space above his heart and Seles was giving him a confused look. "If you don't care about me, Seles, just go."

She walked out the door.

"You aren't wrong, Zelos. You're a sentient being and entitled to wear your scars on the outside if you so desire. Do you know why I brought you to the Renegades?"

"No. Why?"

"You remind me of how I used to be."

"I… what? Were you a Chosen once?"

"No, I've never carried that title. I'm simply reminded of how I was, long ago." Zelos was startled when the Seraph reached out a hand and ruffled his hair. "I've been neglecting you."

"Neglecting…? You brought me here. I've never had this much genuine attention before. The people here call me Zelos, not Chosen."

"I brought you here and left you to others. I want you to be my student, though. Would you consent to be so?"

Zelos nodded effusively and Yuan smiled. It was a genuine smile, nothing of a smirk about it, and it left Zelos with the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he could learn to understand this strange angel with a little more time.

They were both alike, after all.

A/N I actually sat down to write this from Yuan's point of view and ended up dissecting Zelos' psyche instead. Alas, the best of intentions… I suppose that my favorite Seraph will have to wait a little longer to take a front and center role.

Oh, and FYI, the blind chick grows up to be the seer, Linea Langford, in the game. She's going to appear a few more times throughout these stories as a plot device of sorts.


End file.
